Leptoconops

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Leptoconops
Temporal range: Hauterivian–Holocene
Leptoconops spp. from CSIRO.jpg
Leptoconops sp.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Ceratopogonidae
Subfamily: Leptoconopinae
Genus: Leptoconops
Skuse, 1889
Synonyms

TersesthesTownsend, 1893
MycterotypusNoè, 1905
SchizoconopsKieffer,1918
ProtersesthesKieffer, 1921

Leptoconops (black gnat) [1] is a midge genus in the family Ceratopogonidae. [2] It has a mostly tropical or subtropical distribution worldwide, [3] but some species occur as far north as Moscow region in Russia and the Yukon Territory in Canada. [4]

This genus is relictual, having had a pantropical distribution during the Cretaceous. [5] The presence of Leptoconops, along with Austroconops , in ancient Lebanese amber makes these the earliest existing lineages of biting midges. [3] Extinct species have also been described from amber from Siberia, New Jersey, Canada, Hungary, Sakhalin, France, [4] and Spain. [6]

Adult Leptoconops females are diurnal feeders, and suck vertebrate blood. Adults of both sexes in some species rest by burying themselves in sand. [7] Larvae feed on algae, fungi, and bacteria. They burrow in moist, usually saline, sand or mud of desert areas and coastal and inland beaches. [3] [4]

Species

Leptoconops contains the following species:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceratopogonidae</span> Family of flies commonly known as no see ums, or biting midges

Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally 1–3 millimetres in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic.

<i>Forcipomyia</i> Genus of flies

Forcipomyia is a genus of biting midges in the subfamily Forcipomyiinae. Species of the subgenus Lasiohelea suck vertebrate blood. Some species are ectoparasites on larger insects. Other species in the genus are important pollinators of the cacao tree. There are at least 1,000 described species in Forcipomyia.

<i>Atrichopogon</i> Genus of flies

Atrichopogon is a genus of biting midges, small flies in the family Ceratopogonidae.

Leptoconops zherikhini is an extinct species of biting midges belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. This species was described from fossilized remains preserved in Lower Cretaceous amber from Álava, Spain. These fossils represents the earliest known occurrence of extant genus Leptoconops.

Leptoconops amplificatus is an extinct species of biting midge belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. This species was described from fossilized remains preserved in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon.

Leptoconops antiquus is an extinct species of biting midges belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. This species was described from fossilized remains preserved in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon.

Leptoconops burmiticus is an extinct species of biting midges belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. This species was described from fossilized remains preserved in Burmese amber from the Lower Cretaceous. The amber containing the fossil was mined in the Hukawng Valley, Myanmar.

Leptoconops rossi is an extinct species of biting midges belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. This species was described from fossilized remains preserved in Burmese amber from the Lower Cretaceous. The amber containing the fossil was mined in the Hukawng Valley, Myanmar.

Leptoconops brevistylus is a species of biting midge belonging to the family Ceratopogonidae. It occurs in the Damodar River valley, Jharkhand state, India.

Phaenobezzia is a genus of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. There are more than 20 described species in Phaenobezzia.

Mallochohelea is a genus of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. There are at least 40 described species in Mallochohelea.

Clinohelea is a genus of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. There are at least 40 described species in Clinohelea.

Nilobezzia is a genus of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. There are more than 70 described species in Nilobezzia.

Allohelea is a genus of predaceous midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. There are more than 30 described species in Allohelea.

<i>Heteromyia</i> Genus of flies

Heteromyia is a genus of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. There are about 17 described species in Heteromyia.

<i>Jenkinshelea</i> Genus of flies

Jenkinshelea is a genus of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. There are about 18 described species in Jenkinshelea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mazumdar, Abhijit; Saha, Narayan; Chaudhuri, Prasanta (21 September 2010). "Blood sucking midges of Leptoconops (Holoconops Kieffer) (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from India". Zootaxa. 2619: 49–55. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2619.1.5.
  2. ↑ Borkent, Art; Wirth, Willis W (24 July 1997). "World Species of Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (233): 1.
  3. 1 2 3 Choufani, J; Azar, D; Perrichot, V; et al. (December 2011). "The genus Leptoconops Skuse (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Early Cretaceous Charentese amber". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 91 (4): 285–291. doi:10.1007/s12549-011-0057-1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Szadziewski, Ryszard; Arillo, Antonio (15 October 2003). "The oldest fossil record of the extant subgenus Leptoconops (Leptoconops)(Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)". Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia. 46: 271–275.
  5. ↑ Szadziewski, R (May 2015). "A blood sucking biting midge from Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber with a key to the determination of fossil species in the relictual genus Leptoconops Skuse (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)". Cretaceous Research. 54: 255–259. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.12.013.
  6. ↑ Arillo, Antonio; Penalver, Enrique; Delclos, Xavier (31 October 2008). "Microphorites (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from the Lower Cretaceous amber of San Just (Spain), and the co-occurrence of two ceratopogonid species in Spanish amber deposits". Zootaxa. 1920: 29–40. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1920.1.2.
  7. 1 2 3 Borkent, Art (26 April 2001). "Leptoconops (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), the Earliest Extant Lineage of Biting Midge, Discovered in 120-122 Million-Year-Old Lebanese Amber". American Museum Novitates. 3328: 1–11. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2001)328<0001:ldctee>2.0.co;2. hdl: 2246/2945 .
  8. 1 2 3 Szadziewski, Ryszard (23 July 2004). "Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Burmese Amber, Myanmar". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 2 (2): 115–121. doi:10.1017/s1477201904001178.
  9. ↑ Choufanni, Joanna; Perrichot, Vincent; Azar, Dany; Nel, Andre (1 December 2014). "New Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in Late Cretaceous Vendean Amber". Paleontological Contributions. 10H.
  10. ↑ Yu, Yixin (March 1997). "A New Species of Leptoconops Midge from Wudang Mountain, Hubei Province, China (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)". Entomologia Sinica. 4 (1): 56–58. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7917.1997.tb00072.x.
  11. ↑ Poinar Jr., George (August 2008). "Leptoconops nosopheris sp. n. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and Paleotrypanosoma burmanicus gen. n., sp. n. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), a biting midge--trypanosome vector association from the Early Cretaceous". Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. 103 (5): 468–71. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02762008000500010 .
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